What are HUD’s criteria for assistance animal documentation?

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)  has established specific criteria for the documentation required to support a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal. Here are the key points:

1. Disability & Disability-Related Need:
   • Valid documentation must state that the individual has a disability-related need for the assistance animal. 
   • Non-observable vs. Observable Disabilities: Some impairments are visible, such as blindness, deafness, mobility limitations, and certain intellectual or neurological impairments (e.g., stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or brain injury). These observable impairments are generally obvious and not attributable to non-medical causes by a layperson. Observable disabilities, where the need for an assistance animal is 'readily apparent' (HUD p. 6), are not required to provide documentation from their health professional. However, the housing provider still has a right to know what work or task the animal has been trained to perform to assist with the disability.
   • Non-observable Disabilities: Certain impairments, particularly those that might necessitate an emotional support animal, may not be observable. In these cases, a housing provider may request information about both the disability and the disability-related need for the animal. However, housing providers are not entitled to know an individual’s specific diagnosis (HUD p. 9). Never in the verification process will OurPetPolicy ask for the specific diagnosis of an individual’s disability.
     
     
2. Licensed Health Professional (HP) with Personal and Professional Knowledge:
   • Documentation must come from a licensed health professional who has personal and professional knowledge of the patient. This knowledge should be based on the diagnosis, advising, counseling, treating, or providing health care or other disability-related services to the patient/client.
   • As a best practice, the documentation should include:
     • The patient’s name.
     • Confirmation that the health care professional has a professional relationship with the patient/client involving the provision of health care or disability-related services.
     • The type of animal for which the reasonable accommodation is sought (HUD p. 16-17).
       
       
3. Licensed Health Professional Must Attest to Disability-Related Need:
   • Definition of a Disability: Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (HUD p. 3).
   • The health professional must be able to attest to the disability-related need for the assistance animal.

These criteria ensure that the documentation provided is reliable and that the need for the assistance animal is substantiated according to HUD guidelines.